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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Today I'm happy to host science fiction and fantasy author Lucinda Moebius on the blog. Read on to find out about her background, her writing, and a cool new feature on her website, a section that's like an online critique/writing workshop!

Here's Lucinda.....

Thank you KC for hosting me on your site today.

Let me
introduce myself to your followers.My
name is Lucinda Moebius and I write Science Fiction and Fantasy novels.In addition I am also a teacher, reader,
daughter, sister, mother, wife, aunt, student and everything else that could
possibly make anyone’s life interesting and confusing.I’m sure my life isn’t any more complicated
than the next guy’s.One of my many
incarnations is that of an English Teacher.I write a little bit every day, read a little bit every day and continue
to work to perfect my craft.I’m not an
expert in the craft, but I’m always trying to find ways to improve and grow as
an artist.While there is always a sense
of fear when I share my work with others, I welcome feedback and take critique
as a way to improve.Being a writer
means being part of a community of artists who love to discuss their craft and
improve their art.I constantly talk to
other writers and discuss ways to create better stories.It’s not about competition, it’s about the
art.

Even since I can remember I wanted to be a
teacher.I love the idea of working with
children and teaching them something that will stay with them forever.There is an almost magical feeling when a
student gets a concept and has that Ah Ha moment.It is like a light bulb goes off and their
eyes light up.I teach high school and
college in addition to writing novels.My students always ask me if I get rich from my writing would I give up
teaching and I tell them no.One of the
reasons I write is to demonstrate literary elements. Even if I don’t teach in a traditional
classroom I will always be a teacher.

I want to
introduce your readers to a new feature on my website.Becoming a better writer means work.In order to write well I need to study the
elements of writing: plot, characterization, dialogue, conflict and many others
to numerous to mention here.I
am inviting people to submit their unpublished, original works to the Story
Time section of my website.All work
must be appropriate for all audiences.Work will not be edited for content or grammar and will be posted as
is.The work will be critiqued and the
writer will receive feedback from other writers and readers.I intend to turn this section of the website
into a writing workshop.The hope is the
author will take the critique and use it to improve their writing.In my heart I will always be a teacher in
addition to a writer.I hope to foster a
positive learning environment where writers can come to learn and grow their
craft.

Echoes of Savanna:
Every generation has its defining moments, events that change history and
turn the course of lives. Forever will the children of that generation be
defined by those moments.

Savanna Taylor is a medical doctor in 2036, the same year terrorists release
a series of plagues and viruses into the world. She is a nineteen year old
Brain Trust whose task it is to find a cure for the diseases and develop
vaccines to prevent their further spread. The world is thrown in turmoil and
Savanna needs to find a way to survive with her sanity and family intact. She
needs to find a safe Haven for herself and for those she loves.

Can Savanna cope in a world in constant flux brought on by war and disease?
Can she save the world and protect her loved ones or will she make the ultimate
sacrifice? How will she be defined?

Raven’s Song:

The next generation has come into its own. Raven, Savanna’s impulsive,
impetuous daughter has begun her own epic journey.

Raven was born in a time of turmoil and war. She decides her calling
in life is to be a soldier. Sacrificing the shelter and security of
Haven, Raven puts herself at risk to save others. She finds herself in
perilous situations and thrust into the role of leadership despite her own
misgivings. The Siren’s Song of Haven is continuously singing to
her. She could be safe, protected, sheltered and warm if she returned to
Haven and its stone walls. But, is it her destiny to live in the walls of
Haven, or is there another destiny in store for this child of Haven?

About the author:

Lucinda Moebius grew up in the mountains of Idaho
and Eastern Oregon. Her mother taught her to read when she was four years old
and since that time books have been her constant companions. She has a Bachelor’s
Degree in English Teaching, a Master’s in Educational Leadership and is
currently pursuing a Doctorate in Education. Lucinda supports her writing habit
by teaching High School and College. She currently lives in Boise, Idaho with
her husband, stepson and their dog and cat.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

As an author, you have a product to sell. Not published yet? That's no excuse - you always have something to sell, even if it's just yourself! Before I published Pyxis last November, I had a product I had to sell to a very specific market. I needed to "sell" the ARC of Pyxis to reviewers.

The more reviews written up right when the book released, the better. Reviews are extremely important for buyer confidence, and book bloggers can give a book great exposure when they blog their reviews.

But as a nobody, unpublished, first-time author, how could I get reviewers interested in reading in reviewing my book? Well, I thought about it a lot, and I had a couple of revelations.

And those revelations led to over 130 reviewer requests

for an ARC of Pyxis - a debut, unknown book - over 3 weeks.

Those were REQUESTS - reviewers coming to me. I didn't have to solicit, email, beg, or plead. I actually ended up closing to requests earlier than I'd planned because I didn't want to hand out a bazillion ARCs.

I applied the same principles when I started recruiting bloggers for my blog tour. And I ended up with three or four times as many book bloggers volunteering to host tour stops than I'd planned for. What a nice problem to have! :)

Guess what? Next Wednesday I'm giving away alllll my secrets about how to get reviewers interested in your book and get more blog tour hosts than you know what to do with. And how to do it with minimal effort on your part - by getting THEM to come to YOU.

StoneHouse University is hosting this webinar, and here are the things I'll be talking about:

• How to get bloggers to come to YOU for an ARC of your book
• Where to find blogs for your tour
• How to make your blog tour stand out from all the others
• More book blogger survey results - what book bloggers really want from authors
• What makes bloggers bump a book to the top of their TBR piles
• How to build great relationships with bloggers
• Helpful tools and widgets for promoting your tour and doing giveaways
• Detailed sample timelines for planning through follow-up
• The 1 thing that will make bloggers drop everything to help you (hint: it has nothing to do with your book)
• The 2 philosophies we use that get bloggers excited to work with us (regardless of whether they love the book we’re touring)

Aaaand this webinar will also feature special guest Ashley, aka Bookish Brunette, book blogger extraordinaire!

Here are the details - space is limited, so if you're interested don't wait to sign up!

Book Blog Tours Part 2: Advanced Tips and Tricks

Location: Online - just need an internet connection to attendFormat: Interactive webinar - you can live chat and ask questions during the presentation Date and Time: Wednesday March 14 10:00 a.m. to noon (Mountain Time, MST)Cost: US$50 for interactive live class, US$45 for video recording of the classTopicsWe Will Cover: See list aboveRegister Here

If you missed Part 1, 10 Steps to a Successful Book Blog Tour (the webinar above is Part 2), you can purchase a recording of it for $45 - just email Aaron at stonehousepress@hotmail.com. Part 1 is a great foundation for understanding how to plan, structure, and carry out a book blog tour. Here's what one attendee had to say about Part 1:

Feedback from Book Blog Tours Part 1: 10 Steps to a Successful Tour

“Just finished attending the Blog Tour webinar with
Aaron Patterson and K.C. Neal presented by StoneHouse University.
Sooooo worth the price of the ticket. Check it out at stonehouseink.net
and link to their SH University page for future offerings. In this brave
new world of digital EVERYthing, authors can’t afford to miss
opportunities to learn from those more experienced in cybermarketing.
Just plain brilliant.
Thanks, so much.”
—Sally J. Smith, Writer

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Today on the blog I have bestselling author Susan Wingate, whose debut YA novel Spider Brains, will release in May. Read on for the blurb and a teaser!

SUSAN WINGATE, #1 Amazon Bestseller forDROWNING! DROWNING won the 2011 Forward National Literature Award for Drama. Susan is best known for her award-winning Bobby’s Diner Series.
BOBBY’S DINER reached bestseller status nabbing the #5 spot on
Fictionwise.com in 2008. A vibrant public speaker, Susan often presents
inspirational and motivational talks about the craft of writing,
marketing, and how to survive in this extremely volatile Publishing
industry.

out of 5 stars on Amazon.com “Absorbing” ~ Phyllis Schieber (author of “The Manicurist” and “The Sinner’s Guide to Confession”)

out of 5 stars on Amazon.com “DROWING is Intensely absorbing” ~ Dr. Veronica Esagui (author of the “Veronica’s Diary” series)

A Short Synopsis of SPIDER BRAINS:
If one were to bake the story SPIDER BRAINS into a cake, they should
sprinkle in Charlotte’s Web, toss in one Jellicle Cat, then stir in a
little Spiderman—but as a girl and not in that goofy latex outfit! A
tale of hope, transformation, transition and inspiration.

After
her father’s death last year and, now, in the throes of a gnarly
teacher’s whim as she thinks ahead to college (or really just dreams of
getting into college), a small black arachnid bites fifteen-year-old
Susie Speider on the finger. The bite sends her nights into fantastical
dreams about taking revenge on a teacher who, ultimately, holds her
college aspirations in the palm of her cold calloused hand. But, after
Susie figures out the dreams are real, she ups the ante by visiting the
teacher regularly… as the spider! And, oh, by the way! Who is
that boy spider munching on flies, hiding over there in the corner? A
story of loss and forgiveness, tolerance and kindness, Susie Speider
deals with the death of her father while Matt Ryder–the new neighbor
boy–has just lost his mother. Ultimately, SPIDER BRAINS poses some
important questions about how to treat Attention-Deficit-Disorder.

“Simply
put, Susan Wingate is a master of the written word. In SPIDER BRAINS,
she weaves a heart-warming tale full of wit and intrigue: a nod to
Kafka’s Metamorphosis in a quirky blend with The Princess Diaries.
There are laugh out loud moments with the teenage protagonist, Susie
Speider, whose voice was well executed and credible. But there are also
moments that tug at the heartstrings and even bring a tear to the eye,
as we see Susie’s angst when she faces pain from the past, as well as
redemption through the relationship with her mother. Whether or not
you’re a fan of YA literature, you’ll love SPIDER BRAINS. But don’t
expect anything ordinary!” ~Joshua Graham, award-winning,
no. 1 Amazon & no. 1 Barnes & Noble bestselling author of
“Darkroom” (S&S/Howard Books) and “Beyond Justice”)

“A
heartwarming story full of laughs, great friendship, a touch of
romance, and lots of fun facts about spiders and more. Every now and
then a wonderful book like this one comes along that entertains while it
teaches. I look forward to reading SPIDER BRAINS with my kids!” ~Ann Charles, award-winning author of the Deadwood Mystery Series

Super human kid by night, regular high school teenager by day. I’m a junior. Well, next year.

My name is Susie Speider. The E is silent. My name is NOT pronounced speeder. For crying out loud. We are not a family of racers. Sheesh.

My
problem? There are two major-stager problems in my life. My meds, for
starters. They say I’m ADD. Yeah. Like, so, I concentrate on the moment
du jour. What’s wrong with that?

Then,
there’s the issue with my grades. They suck. And, my teacher, Ms.
Morlson. She hates my guts! She holds my going or not going to the U in
the palm of her cold calloused clammy hands.

(This is a pic of me. The QUEEN of dorks). But,
with the new glasses my mom got me and my new meds, maybe I can improve
over the next two years enough to bring my grades up to pass with
something decent.

The
problem? With these new glasses now I look like a short amorphous geeky
version of the svelte coolamundo Morticia from the Addam’s Family but
not in a good way and certainly not with her way cool clingy clothes.
Plus, with my braces, lord, I look like the empress of geeks on planet
Nerd-O-1.

As
mom says my glasses might allow me grades, “good enough to get you into
at least one of the state’s colleges.” She said colleges but I knew she
meant universities.

Mom
didn’t go to college so she thinks any grade higher than high school
senior is college. I suppose she’s right to some extent but there are
those, you know, who might argue.

Sooo.

I’m
trying out new words right now, new catch-phrases, like “fierce” and
“sick,” and like “rad.” Rad is just a shortened word for radical. I’m
thinking of shortening the word amazing to “am” or “azin’” but worry
that people might mistake me for a Cockney gal talking about small
wrinkly fruit. That would be lame.

See,
though, and this is pretty astonishing, the editor of the school
newspaper, she’s a senior her name is Tanya (not pronounced Tŏnya but
Tănya), well, I sort of think she understands me. I think. I mean,
’cause, whenever I see her, I give her an installment of a very unique
and unusual, weird word. I find them on this way cool website called, BrownieLocks. Anywho. She treats me okay. She takes my words, anyway, and sometimes they show up in the paper.

Of course, no one will want to use any of the words I make up.

I’m not cool. Only cool kids make up catch-phrases like sick.

I’m a nerd and not even the good kind. My grades suck. So, I guess, that makes me more of a dork.

Pathetic.

I have a pussy, a pussy-cat. And, yes, I say pussy so Get Over It!

Most
of my girlfriends have pussies, well, two of them. Anyway, the only two
girlfriends I have in the whole entire world who go Ronkonkoma High,
Ricki and Jamie. The only bad thing about Ronkonkoma High School, well
other than the mascot (the Roc), the pep clubbers ( the Roc-kers),
all the popular kids, the loadies, the boys who somehow believe they
magically lived in Tombstone during their gestation period and came out
cowboys, the principle, and Ms. Morlson. Well, the only bad thing other than those bad things is that Ronkonkoma High sits only a block or so past the cemetery and the cemetery sits a block or so past my house.

I hate the cemetery. I used to walk by it. No prob.

Anymore? Not so much. Now, I go the long way.

Mine is named Delilah. My cat!? My pussy cat!? ‘Member?

Ricki’s is Joe.

Dweeb. Plus, Joe is a girl. Dweeb squared.

Jamie’s is Sasha. A more pussy-like name. If. Ever.

Ricki’s
name is really Ricki but Jamie’s is not. Jamie’s real name is Jane
because of some freakish love affair Jane’s mother and father have for
Tarzan. They have every kind of Tarzan story, poster, old movie
playbill, Tarzan dolls (still in their packaging for better return on
their dollars! OMG), and Tarzan sidekicks too, like Boy and Cheetah.
It’s totally dorky. Although, I must admit, Cheetah is pretty cool.